“Will George Russell move to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes? I think about it most mornings

The Formula 1 drivers’ roundabout is always a game of cat and mouse – don’t show your hand too early and try to get into the fastest car available.

For the past seven years this car has been gray, silver, or black and always had the Mercedes badge on the front, and trying to get in has been a more realistic endeavor for many drivers than trying to get past it.

George Russell is no different and is by far the man with the best chance of doing it. Although Valtteri Bottas is still in his way.

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The Finn was stubborn and, for a man who is thrifty with his words, specifically in defense of his seat, but performances by the wayside remain what defines or breaks his career at Mercedes.

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In previous years, it was enough to be second fiddle to Lewis Hamilton, fast enough to score points and win the constructors, but not fast enough to disrupt the apple wagon of the team’s most valued employee. With Red Bull’s rise to the top of the table, thanks both to Sergio Perez, who overtook Bottas and defeated Max Verstappen, the microscope has swung back to second place at Mercedes.

Russell, a member of the Mercedes Academy program and next in line next to Hamilton, rarely spends a day without being asked about his future, despite wearing Williams overalls.

“I’m not really bothered or annoyed because, as I said, I just have to concentrate on my job,” said Russell this weekend.

“If I keep compliments in my head, will I get lost quickly? Probably not. If anything, it might slow me down.

“I just hope that I’m not in the middle of a contract discussion during the break, because I think we all want a break.”

It appears, however, that he will most likely be interrupted at his parents’ house in the Norfolk countryside, as if Bottas is to get a new deal, it will likely be negotiated later this summer. Mercedes has already signed Hamilton for another two years, and if Bottas is to move on, he will need time to find a drive for the next year.

There are other effects as well, further down the pyramid. If Russell leaves Williams, F2’s Dan Ticktum, a member of the team’s academy, will replace him, and the 22-year-old former Red Bull junior admits he spends a lot of time thinking about it.

Ticktum will be one of those vying for a Williams spot if Russell gets promoted (Picture: Getty)

“How could I not?” Ticktum said after finishing second in the F2 race at Silverstone on Sunday.

“I’ve been on the fringes of Formula 1 for a few years. I have a good opportunity at Williams.

“I don’t know the situation. I know I have a chance, and the boss just tells me I’m doing my job here – and I’m doing it anyway.

“But it’s in the back of my mind when I wake up in the morning.”

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